The standard approach for chemotherapy is to apply the maximum tolerable dose of the drug or combination of drugs with the goal of eliminating the cancer tumor. But a group of researchers at Oregon State University, along with some scientists in the UK, have developed a different approach to cancer treatment, according to Science Daily. While the goal of achieving total remission of cancer remains the same, the intermediate step is to control the tumor, inhibiting its growth, and thus treating cancer as a chronic disease.

One example of how that approach works is to use two drugs used to treat ovarian cancer in tandem, paclitaxel, which attacks the cancer cells directly, and rapamycin, which inhibits the growth of cancer cells and the blood vessels that nourish them. The drugs are delivered at one-tenth to one-third of the maximum tolerable dosage using a nanoparticle delivery system that precisely hits the tumor and leaves the surrounding tissue unmolested.

The problem with standard chemotherapy is that it often has to be paused for the patient to recover from the side effects. The pause can allow the cancer time to reassert itself. The new method can be delivered continuously because the toxicity for the patient has been reduced to almost zero. It allows the patient’s natural ability to maintain health and assist in the fight against the cancer.

The research is promising and will likely be applicable to a variety of complicated and hard to treat cancers. It could constitute a new type of cancer treatment that will be easier for the patient to tolerate, as it will have fewer side effects.

Our strategy focuses on enabling our clients to recruit the right people for the structure in which they will perform. Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

Many experts believe that AI will ultimately prove to be cheaper, more efficient, and more impartial than humans. This scenario may seem like a cause for concern for managers. You can relax though. Machines will not be taking your jobs anytime soon. However, the emergence of machine learning in the management space does mean that you will be able to focus your skills and efforts on the things only humans can do. Regardless of how you feel about the rise of artificially intelligent machines, change is coming and sooner than you think. A recent Harvard Business Review article proposed that managers will begin to see significant developments related to their corporate roles in the very near future. Here are a few ways that AI could impact your job during the next few years.

1. AI Will Take-on Your Admin Tasks

According to one survey, managers at all levels spend over half their time on administrative and control tasks. These include shifts in scheduling due to illness, vacation, retirements, and departures. As a manager, these responsibilities are time-consuming and tend to shift your focus off of the more business critical aspects of your day to day. It is fortunate then that this is the area experts see AI affecting the most. AI directed applications will be able to automate many of these tasks, finding solutions that aren’t readily apparent to us.

2. AI Will Write Your Reports

Recently, the Associated Press increased the information in its quarterly reports over 800 percent with the help of AI-driven software. Imagine similar technology like this drafting your next management report. If you have ever scaled back reporting metrics because you simply didn’t have the time or ability to create actionable reports, you can see the value. This technology is already available in some BI dashboarding and data analytics reporting tools. For example, the data analytics company Tableau has partnered with Narrative Science, a maker of natural language generation devices. The result is Narratives for Tableau, which recently debuted in the form of a Chrome extension that uses AI to create written explanations for many Tableau graphics automatically.

3. AI Will Become Your Key Problem Solver and Most Trusted Consultant

AI will be able to uncover and adopt new key performance indicators to drive business. Because of AI’s unlimited capacity to analyze and interpret multiple data points simultaneously, it can discover new criteria for success including opportunities for collaboration, strategic alliances, information sharing, learning through virtual experimentation or “what if scenarios,” and decision-making. In essence, it will enable you to reach beyond your organization for insights and solutions.

4. AI Will Take Over Training and Onboarding

We are already utilizing computers for training. AI’s software enabled with biometrics will be the future of training. Biometrics will allow natural interactions between humans and machines. This includes among many other things, facial, emotion, and touch recognition, as well as speech, and body language interpretation.

Already, future managers and business leaders pursuing MBA’s are being taught to work with AI. Harvard Business has made classes on AI a requirement for its MBA program. NYU’s Stern School of Business is offering courses related to basic data handling as well as programming languages like Python. This is in addition to the required introduction to machine learning course. At MIT Sloan School of Management, MBAs are offered electives on AI and robotics. Business schools are putting more emphasis on artificial intelligence and data science because it is rapidly becoming an essential skill for management.

Our strategy focuses on enabling our clients to recruit the right people for the structure in which they will perform. Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

In the field of stroke treatment, there is a saying “time is brain.” This is because every minute with a clot a patient loses millions of brain cells. Stroke patients living near one to the nation’s Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC) are luckier than most. In 2015, 81 percent of stroke patients treated at CSCs had been treated within two hours of their arrival. That is up from 22 percent, in 2013. Early intervention is key to decreasing recovery time, as well. Many patients who may have been sent to a nursing home were able to go to a rehab center instead, and patients who would have needed to go to rehab were able to go home.

Stenting and Clot Removal Capabilities and CSCs

According to the 2015 study, over 60 percent of stroke patients treated with a stent and retriever resumed full independence and function after three months. That is compared with 35 percent of those who were treated with drugs alone. It is estimated that one-third of Americans who suffer strokes each year are found to have blockages in their arteries large enough to be treated with clot-retrieving stents. However, only about 28,000 were actually treated with one last year, according to Stacey Pugh, VP of Medtronic’s Neurovascular Division. The reason is due to a lack of facilities, staff, and trained physicians.

Too Few Comprehensive Stroke Centers in the US

According to research, there are only 150- 200 facilities in the U.S. recognized as Comprehensive Stroke Centers. As a result, procedures like neurovascular stenting and clot removal, just aren’t available in many parts of the country.

This is unfortunate on many levels. First, there is the aspect of improved patient outcome which correlates directly with treatment received at comprehensive stroke centers. This is observed in both types of stroke, hemorrhagic and ischemic. There are also the improved outcomes including shortened recovery times associated with neurovascular stenting and clot removal. Finally, the cost reduction that occurs from these improved results.

How Hospitals Can Become Certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center

So, why then aren’t more hospitals certified as CSCs? The requirements include an in-house neurosurgery unit, specialized training, and space. Currently, 350 U.S. hospitals are equipped to perform the procedures and are working through the process to receive certification as comprehensive stroke centers. According to the AHA, Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is given to hospitals that meet standards to treat the most complex stroke cases. Eligibility standards include all components of a basic or Primary Stroke Center plus:

experience and expertise treating patients with a variety of ischemic strokes, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage

The certification is provided through a partnership between the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association as well as The Joint Commission.

Our strategy focuses on enabling our clients to recruit the right people for the structure in which they will perform. Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

Suzy Welch, author, and CNBC contributor says that all effective managers have a unique weapon at their disposal which they have used to take their management skills to the next level. What is it? Candor. She advises that managers who speak to their team members frankly, tend to earn respect more easily.

This may sound simple and even counterintuitive considering today’s increasing “p.c.” business environment. However, research shows that candidates want to work for people they respect and trust. By adopting a culture of candor, management can improve their employee’s overall satisfaction.

What is Candor?

Candor is synonymous with purity, fairness, unreserved honesty, forthrightness and sincere expression among others. A manager who uses candor is an emotionally intelligent leader who gains the trust of his team through transparency and openness.

Candor Facilitates Transparency and Trust

In a 2014, American Psychological Association survey of more than 1,500 U.S. workers, it was found that distrust was pervasive among most employees. More than 25 percent of employees stated that they did not trust management or the company for which they worked. Only half of those employees reported that they felt their employers were “up front” with them on all matters. This lack of trust may be due to either perceived or actual transparency issues. Following the financial collapse of 2008, many have become cynical toward corporations and management, assuming that they are being kept in the dark about at least some issues.

Three Tips on Being More Candid with Your Team

The first step is to make it a point to have regular meetings with your team where corporate goals are discussed. When an employee can see the big picture they can understand their role and how it fits into those aims. Understandably, they will be more likely to place trust into management that keeps them in the loop.

Encourage open discussion. Whether you introduce a team forum or simply make it a point to invite commentary, it is important to keep the channel of communication open.

Avoid censorship. This is a tough one. We all know that a disgruntled or unhappy employee is like a disease that spreads. However, as part of your commitment to open discussion, refrain from censoring negative comments on Slack or message forum. Instead, take the opportunity to show yourself responsive and address the comments personally. Take note of the criticism as if there is no ulterior motive, even if you suspect otherwise. Inquire if others have had the same feelings or experiences. By keeping open communication, you have the opportunity to address the smoke before it becomes a fire.

Proof Candor Works

There are several clear advantages a manager enjoys once they cut out the corporate jargon and talk straight with their team. Employee alignment occurs when you take the time to look at the big picture goals and help each member understand their role within the organization. Candid leadership fosters employees who understand the company vision and want to be a part of helping achieve company-wide goals.

When leaders show transparency and openness to ideas, problems are solved faster. Be open and honest with your teams about company challenges. Utilize your employees to help provide solutions. This simple act will breed employee engagement, which we all know is key to employee satisfaction.

Our strategy focuses on enabling our clients to recruit the right people for the structure in which they will perform. Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

First, the AHA has found no evidence that fish oil supplements have any benefit for warding off cardiovascular disease in healthy people, which includes heart attacks and strokes.

However, the same study concluded that individuals who have had a heart attack or have heart failure are less likely to die if they take 1000 mg of fish oil supplements per day. Taking supplements can reduce the chance of death after heart failure by nine percent.

According to the National Institutes of health, omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have some benefit in warding off cardiovascular disease. However, many researchers have concluded that the effect is better obtained by eating fish rather than taking supplements. The reason may be that people who include fish in their diets often use the fish as substitution for less heart-healthy food, such as red meat. Individuals who take supplements can still have an unhealthy diet that is too light on fruits and vegetables and too heavy on less healthy food. Seafood also has other healthy nutrients that are absent in fish oil supplements. Many people who eat a lot of fish also pursue other healthy lifestyle choices, such as frequent exercise.

If someone is considering using fish oil supplements as part of a dietary regimen, he or she should consult with a physician before doing so.

Our strategy focuses on enabling our clients to recruit the right people for the structure in which they will perform. Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

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